Sempra Energy (SRE) To Go Ex-Dividend on March 19th

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be given a dividend of 0.6575 per share by the utilities provider on Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This is a 1.9% increase from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65.

Sempra Energy has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 22 consecutive years. Sempra Energy has a dividend payout ratio of 52.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Sempra Energy to earn $5.14 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.63 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 51.2%.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $96.01 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.78. The stock has a market cap of $62.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $97.44.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $99.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Argus raised Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.00.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

Sempra Energy is a San Diego–based energy infrastructure company that develops, owns and operates businesses delivering electricity and natural gas. Its operations include regulated utility services that provide electric and gas distribution to residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as non‑regulated infrastructure businesses that develop and manage large-scale energy assets.

The company’s product and service portfolio spans electricity and natural gas delivery, transmission and storage, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, power generation and electric transmission projects.